Dont cry for me L'Andalucia...
Two days later the dissipating tropical cyclone Vinc made weather history
when it moved ashore on the southwest coast of L'Andlucia in Spain, the
first tropical storm ever ...
There was considerable damage as brooks turned into raging torrents and
small streams became rampaging rivers out of their banks. Rainfall amounts
of 6-12 inches was more than enough to set off these floods and flash
floods. Houses, roads, trees, electric power poles, just about everything in
the path of the sudden rush of water was swept away or severely damaged.
Tropical Storm Vince, very briefly a minimal hurricane, formed on Oct. 9 in
the far eastern Atlantic Ocean near the Madeira Islands west of Portugal.
2005 globally 2nd or 3rd hottest year
Fri Oct 14, 2005 11:09 AM BST8
By Gerrard Wynn
LONDON (Reuters) - 2005 will be the second or third warmest year on record
globally, the Met Office said on Friday, as climate concerns build among
people in polar and low-lying areas and in the insurance and utility
industries.
"Whether it is second or third depends on how Siberia reacts between now and
the end of the year," said Wayne Elliott, Met Office spokesman.
"1998 was the warmest ever, 2005 is looking at being second. It will be
another very warm year generally, which is in line with global climate
change research."
The Met Office bases its measurements on both land and sea temperatures.
After 1998, the four hottest years globally were the last four years,
according to Met Office data going back to 1861. The second hottest year was
2002, followed by 2003, 2004 and 2001.
The trend adds weight to concern among many scientists that the world is
hotting up and that human activity including burning of fossil fuels and
generation of "greenhouse gases" by industry is playing a major part.
Two recent hurricanes have left the United States with tight fuel supplies,
energy companies say.
Meanwhile, in Europe Portugal and Spain have experienced their worst
droughts ever recorded, and further east, floods and torrential rain
drenched Switzerland, Germany, Austria and EU membership-candidates Bulgaria
and Romania.
"The vast majority of scientists would now say that there is a significant,
substantial human effect on the environment," Craig Hutton, project manager
at the GeoData Institute, University of Southampton, said on Friday.
"I think that's good enough to get on and start to plan in reality for the
effects of climate change."
Southampton University is working with IBM to research a early warning
system for UK flood responses, to anticipate storm and tidal surges.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-1
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